


broke your heart, i'll put it back together

by QueenIsabelle



Series: Zutara Month 2020 [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betrayal, Cave of Two Lovers, F/M, Family, Fluff, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Steambaby, THIS IS SO CUTE, Zutara, Zutara Month, Zutara Month 2020, pure family fluff, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24155827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenIsabelle/pseuds/QueenIsabelle
Summary: Day 4/5/6: Betrayal/Cave of Two Lovers/FamilyKallik wants to hear the story of how his parents met.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Month 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1736344
Comments: 4
Kudos: 158





	broke your heart, i'll put it back together

**Author's Note:**

> I was doing some researching and found that "Kallik" means "lightning" in Intuit, which is what the Southern Water Tribe was based off of. And I nearly cried from the perfection of it.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Ever since Kallik was small, he had known that his parents’ love was special. He often overheard the servants and the nobles discussing how they had gotten together—working to end a war, surviving assination attempts, overcoming prejudice. Many people, Kallik had learned, had not liked that his father loved his mother. They had not liked that his mother loved his father. But as the years passed, those people faded into the background, overshadowed by those who loved their benevolent rulers and their growing family. 

Kallik smiled as he thought of his baby sister, Kya. She had been born almost a year ago, and she’d had him wrapped around her finger ever since. As soon as he’d looked into her golden eyes, he’d sworn to himself that he would do everything in his power to make sure that she was always safe and loved. He’d said as much to his father, who had smiled and hugged him tightly. Kallik knew that his father’s relationship with his own sister wasn’t the best. He didn’t completely understand why, but he thought he had an idea: she was one of the people who didn’t want his parents to be together.

He’d asked many times to hear the story of how his parents had met, only to be told that he was too young. Now, at the age of five, he was determined to understand. He sat cross-legged on his bed, fresh from a bath, his black hair wet and curling against the nape of his neck, and waited for his parents to come kiss him goodnight. Of course, because Kya was a baby, they put her to sleep first; he got to stay up a whole half hour later than her. But no matter how old he claimed to be, his mother and father still came to his room to tuck him in and read him a story.

He wiggled his toes, wondering if perhaps he had been a little too eager in getting into the bath, when his door opened and his parents walked in. His father came first, turning back towards his wife so that Kallik could only see the half of his face with the red scar covering his eye. Kallik had spent many hours tracing the ridges of the scar with his tiny fingers, attempting to kiss away the pain as his father smiled and assured him that it no longer hurt. Kallik’s father was dressed simply in his favored red, black hair hanging past his shoulders and free from the crown hairpiece, his white skin almost ghostly against the dark colors.

“Papa!” Even though it had only been an hour since he had last seen him, Kallik stood up on his bed and jumped into his father’s waiting arms. Their laughter echoed off the walls as they fell onto the bed, Kallik snuggling further into his father’s chest.

“Can I join in this snugglefest?” his mother asked playfully. Kallik twisted to see her standing at the edge of his bed, her blue eyes sparkling and her lips pulling up at the corners. Unlike his father, his mother was dressed in a robe of varying blues, the colors of her home nation. Kallik held his arms out for his mother, grinning as she grabbed his hands. He studied where their fingers overlapped, her brown skin a shade darker than his own. His mother was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen; how could anyone not love her?

“What story would you like to hear tonight, Kallik?” his father asked. The three of them wiggled around, situating themselves so that they were leaning against the headboard with Kallik sandwiched between his parents. His father already had a foot off of the bed, preparing to head over to the case where they kept the story scrolls.

“I want to hear how you and Mama met,” Kallik said, grabbing his father’s arm and tugging him back onto the bed. His father was so shocked that he easily tumbled back onto the covers.

“What?”

“The story of how you met,” Kallik repeated. “I hear people talk about it, but I want to know the full story. And I want to hear it from you.”

Kallik’s parents looked at each other, unsure. Finally, his mother sighed and nodded.

“Alright, if that’s what you want,” she said, wrapping an arm around Kallik.

“Kat,” his father began but stopped when his mother shook her head.

“Before I tell you how Papa and I met, I’m going to tell you about the Cave of Two Lovers,” she said. Already, her voice was low and rhythmic, lulling Kallik to sleep. He wasn’t sure that he could stay awake for two stories, but now he was intrigued.

“What’s the Cave of Two Lovers?” he asked, snuggling into her side. He felt his father press in on the other side and lean over to kiss the top of Kallik’s head.

“The Cave of Two Lovers is a story about forbidden love,” his father said softly. Kallik listened, enraptured, as his parents described the tale to him. Of two people from opposing villages who had fallen in love with each other despite the odds. Of the beginning of earthbending and secret meetings. Of love lost and heartbreak and grief. Kallik cried when he learned the man died.

“Don’t cry, my love,” his mother said, brushing away his tears.

Kallik sniffled. “What happened next?”

“After the woman nearly destroyed the villages, she declared that the war was over. Together, they built a city to honor the couple’s love, naming it after them.”

“What was the name?” Kallik asked.

“Omashu,” his father said.

“Really? But we’ve been there!” The family had traveled there before Kya was born to honor the late King Bumi. Kallik didn’t remember much from the visit except for the Avatar crying into his mother’s arms. “Does that mean the story is real?”

“Yes.” His mother smiled and smoothed his hair over his forehead. “I’ve seen the tunnels. I’ve seen their love for myself. There’s a statue of them, with a saying: ‘Love burns brightest in the dark.’”

Kallik scrunched up his face. “But what does that have to do with how you and Papa met?”

“When Papa and I first met, our countries were at war,” his mother began. “To be honest, we hated each other. We fought on opposite sides for a long time. But then, one day, we found ourselves in a cave, much like the ones that the two lovers used to meet in. We found peace, but then…”

“But then what?”

“I made a bad decision,” his father said, taking over. “Your mother was kind and generous and good, and I betrayed her. It’s one of my biggest regrets.”

“But he made up for it,” his mother continued. “He earned my trust, everyone’s trust—Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki and Toph and Aang.”

“Avatar Aang?” Kallik’s eyes widened.

“Yes, silly.” His mother laughed. “Papa joined the good side, and together we defeated the bad people who had ruined our wonderful countries. And now, Papa and I rule the Fire Nation, and one day, so will you.”

Kallik still had a million more questions, but he let out a large yawn before he could voice any of them. His parents laughed.

“I think that’s enough storytime for tonight, darling,” his mother said, moving to get off the bed. His father followed, crawling carefully over the small boy, and soon, they both stood at his bedside. They helped him under the covers and made sure he had his dragon stuffed animal that Great Uncle Iroh had given him.

“I love you,” he told his parents before he closed his eyes and finally let sleep take him.


End file.
